title: Generation of parabolic similaritons in tapered silicon photonic wires: comparison of pulse dynamics at telecom and mid-infrared wavelengths.
abstract: We study the generation of parabolic self-similar optical pulses in tapered Si photonic nanowires (Si-PhNWs) at both telecom (λ=1.55 μm) and mid-infrared (λ=2.2 μm) wavelengths. Our computational study is based on a rigorous theoretical model, which fully describes the influence of linear and nonlinear optical effects on pulse propagation in Si-PhNWs with arbitrarily varying width. Numerical simulations demonstrate that, in the normal dispersion regime, optical pulses evolve naturally into parabolic pulses upon propagation in millimeter-long tapered Si-PhNWs, with the efficiency of this pulse-reshaping process being strongly dependent on the spectral and pulse parameter regime in which the device operates, as well as the particular shape of the Si-PhNWs.
authors.forename: Spyros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lavdas
authors.forename: Jeffrey B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Driscoll
authors.forename: Hongyi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Richard R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Grote
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Osgood
authors.forename: Nicolae C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Panoiu